Nhono la Residence, Arubari, Tinchuli

The owner is a Tibetan carpet retailer and exporter. He had a friend in the States who provided him with some rough sketches of the building, including SketchUp 3D models. Due to the long distance, he had a hard time understanding his friend's vision for the house over the phone. I also felt confused when looking at those sketches because they were out of scale and proportion. Later, he approached me to design a house that has a simple and homely look. The owner was clear about the facade treatment, such as using plaster lining to create a sense of lightness in volume. The L-shaped site (0-10-0-0) posed its own challenges, with one leg of the L falling behind the neighbor's house. The design had to ensure sufficient natural light and ventilation for all the rooms. I focused on organizing the internal spaces, considering the placement and type of living room and staircase to address this issue. Throughout the design process, both the client and I had extensive discussions about whether the first and second floors should be connected by continuing the staircase at the same place or from the living room. I suggested the former option, as it would provide more flexibility for renting each floor to different tenants. Construction began in April 2018 and was completed in 2020.